Textile firm to capitalise on gift hall selection

A Galashiels knitwear ­company, popular around the world, now has its own space in Jenners, the famous Edinburgh department store.

Eribe’s products were hand-picked for the revamped Scottish Gifts Hall by Mary Contini, director of renowned delicatessen Valvona and Crolla.

It is the latest project involving Jenners and Mrs Contini, who took over the store’s food hall five years ago.

Rosemary Eribe, founder of the knitwear firm, said Mrs Contini approached her about having the products in the new gift hall, which was launched last week.

Rosemary said: “We are one of the key brands in there, and our space has quite a vintage feel.

“The new collection is inspired by Scottish explorers, so there are original trunks and old maps on the walls, which all tie in with the collection.”

Lochcarron and Hawick Cashmere also have areas within the gift hall.

Despite the economic difficulties around the world, Eribe has continued to grow.

“We’ve always been strong in export, and we have managed to spread ourselves across many markets,” Rosemary said.

“We are now in 16 countries, and while we have seen sales go down slightly in Japan, we have made up for that with new orders from places like Russia.

Rosemary Eribe. Photograph: Phil Wilkinson/TSPL

“We are also looking at Chinese and South Korean markets for next year.”

This strength abroad, with products in many prestigious boutiques and department stores, and the launch of Eribe’s own online shop, means up to four new members of staff will be taken on this year. And its ongoing success has also resulted in a nomination for a Scottish Fashion Award in the textile brand category.

Rosemary said: “We definitely want to be seen as one of the leading textile designer brands, if not the best, in Scotland.

“Certainly from a design point of view we are original and innovative, and a lot of time and effort has gone into each design and we are seeing the benefits of this through our sales results.”